(CNN) - Richard Blanco, the poet who likes to describe himself as being made in Cuba, assembled in Spain and imported to the United States, will serve as the inaugural poet when President Barack Obama takes the oath of office for a second term this month.

Blanco will be the first Latino, the first openly gay person and the youngest poet to serve in the highly coveted role.

(CNN) - Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she's "thrilled to be back" after an illness, concussion and treatment for a blood clot sidelined her for more than three weeks.

Clinton returned to work Monday and made her first public appearance Wednesday morning. She was released from a New York hospital last week after three days of treatment for a blood clot between her skull and brain.

Washington (CNN) - Vice President Joe Biden described his gun control effort as a "moral issue" when meeting with gun safety advocates and mass shooting victims on Wednesday morning.

"When I think of all the tragedies that we have endured, I don't think anything has touched the heart of the American people so profoundly as seeing those and learning of those young children not only being shot but riddled with bullets," he said, referring to the December 14 shooting at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Rick Santorum will launch a drive against the nomination of former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary, CNN has learned.

Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania and 2012 GOP presidential candidate, Wednesday will announce his opposition to President Barack Obama's Monday announcement that he's nominating Hagel to succeed retiring Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, according to John Brabender, a top political adviser to Santorum.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Among the stars in town for President Barack Obama's second inauguration will be pop star Beyoncé Knowles, who will perform the national anthem at the January 21 public ceremony.

In 2009, she performed at a concert in Washington on the eve of Obama's first inauguration, and more recently was photographed in September alongside the president at a fundraiser she and her husband - rapper Jay-Z - hosted for his re-election. She also performed at one of the inaugural balls in 2009.FULL POST

New York (CNNMoney) - After initially declining an invitation to attend, Wal-Mart announced Wednesday that it will participate in a meeting with Vice President Joseph Biden's gun violence task force.

The nation's largest retailer, which had sent representatives to meet with the vice president's staff earlier this week, originally said that executives couldn't attend Biden's meeting Thursday because they were obligated to be at monthly sales meetings at its headquarters in Bentonville, Ark.

(CNN) - In a series of wide-ranging interviews Wednesday morning, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sidestepped more questions about his potential interest in a presidential run and pushed for an expansive debate on gun violence.

His comments came one day after the Republican governor gave his annual State of the State address, a high-profile speech that focused almost entirely on recovery efforts from Superstorm Sandy.FULL POST

Washington (CNNMoney) - President Obama will nominate his White House chief of staff, Jacob "Jack" Lew, to be the next U.S. Treasury Secretary on Thursday, a source with knowledge of the nomination tells CNN.

Lew, 57, has been the leading candidate for months and would be the second Treasury Secretary during the Obama administration.

Washington (CNN) - A top political adviser to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing back against a series of new online ads in McConnell's home state of Kentucky that target the top Senate Republican for helping to negotiate a deal that prevented the U.S. from falling off the fiscal cliff.

The ads, by the conservative advocacy group ForAmerica, ask "Mitch McConnell: Whose side are you on?" and show an image of a sullen McConnell sandwiched between pictures of a grinning Vice President Joe Biden and a smirking President Barack Obama.FULL POST